Apparatus for drying clay bodies



Jan. 2, 11923;

H. HOWSON. APPARATUS FOR DRY ms CLAY BODIES.

FILED JULY 21 I920.-

Jam. 2, 11923.

H. HOV/SON. OR DRYING CL AY BODIES.

APPARATUS F F1 LED JULY 2] 1920,

4 SHEETS'SHEET 3 Jam 2, 11923.

H. HOWSON.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING CLAY Bow-Es.

4 SHEETS'SHEET 4 FILED JULY 21 Q 3 .HI. 3 3 FJ O Serial No. 384,427.

Patented .llan. 2, 1223. y UNHTED STAWENT @FFHQE.

HENRY HOWSON, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIeNon 'Io rnoc'ron & scnwA'n'rz, INCORPORATED, or rnILAnuLrnIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A a

RATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING CLAY BODIES.

Application filed July 21, 1920. Serial No. 397,807.

To all whom it may concern: the front of the casing is an opening 4 Be it known that l, HENRY HowsoN, a through which the articles to be dried are citizen of the United States, residing in passed in placing them on the trays. 5 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented is another opening in the casing through 5 certain Improvements in Apparatus for which the articles are removed from the Drying Clay Bodies, of which the following trays. i ifi ti in the construction shown in Fig. 1, the My invention relates to certain improyedried articles are removed from the conments in apparatus for drying clay bodies, veyer at the same end of the drier as the 10 in which a cover is used to-enclose the artiarticles to be dried are inserted. llhis is 1 t b d i d also the case in the construction illustrated The invention is an improvement on the Fig. 8. In the construction illustrated. apparatus set forth in the application filed in Figs. 4 and 6, the articles to be dried by Joseph L. Buckley, May 26, 1920, under are inserted at one end and, when dried,

v are removed at the opposite end. The object of my invention is to provide Carried by the conveyer2 isaseries' of trays means for automatically operating the cover. 6, preferably perforated, as shown, so that My invention is especially adapted for use when the mold a, with the article I) thereon, in connection with carriers of an endless is placed on the tray, theair will circulate 2o conveyer located within a drying chamber. under the mold. At the rear of the tray is The invention also relates to certain details a vertical wall 7 in the present instance, 7 5 of construction which will be fully deto which is pivoted at 8 a cover 9. Fhis scribed hereinafter. cover has a depending portion 10 at the In the accompanyi g drawings: front end so that when it is in the position 25 Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a illustrated in Fig. 2, the mold and the artiportion of a drying apparatus illustrating cle mounted thereon is enclosed within the my invention; cover. Projecting, in the present instance, Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showfrom the rear of the cover is an arm 11 ing one of the trays illustrating my imhavinga roller 12, which comes in contact 39 proved c v r; with a rail 13 in the drier. On the tray is Fig. 3 is a view illustrating the cover eX- an arm 14 having a roller 15, which is tending part way towards the bottom of adapted to travel on a guide rail 16 so as the tray so as to prevent circulation of to keep the tray in a horizontal position, air in the space above the article to be dried; as the cover is elevated by the roller 12 35 Fig. 4 is a side view, partly in section, coming in contact with the rail 13.

of a drying apparatus illustrating my 1m- The air can be circulated in the drier proved cover and the mechanism for operata fan 17 shown clearly in Fig. 4, and the in the cover at each end of the drier; air may be heated by. pipes 18, or heated ig. 5 is an enlarged sectional View illusair may be introduced into the drying 40 trating in detail the cover shown in Fig. 4; chamber without departing from the es- Fi 6 is a view illustrating a modificasential features of the invention. Any

tion of the invention; "suitable partitions may be used for causing Fig. 7 is a sectional view of one of the a proper circulation of air.

trays showing a detail of the construction of I lay no claim to the circulating means,

45 the cover illustrated in Fig. 6; and or the manner in which the convey'er 15 Fig. 8 is a sectional View of a portion of carried through the drying chamber. a drier and illustrating anothei modifica- Each cover 1S preferably made in the tion of the cover in which the front is eleform of a frame carrying a plaster Paris, or vated simultaneously with the top section. equivalent, section 19, preferably located Referring in the first instance to Figs. 1 directly above the mold a and the article Z- and 2 of the drawings, 1 is the casing. of a thereon so that, while a certain portion of drier of any suitable construction, 2 is an the moisture is drawn from the articleby endless chain conveyor, which passes around the mold, moisture is also drawn from the sprocket wheels 3 within the drier. in article by the section 19 of the cover. As

the mold and this section are both porous, the circulation of heated air Within the drier causes these parts to draw moisture from the clay article. The cover protects the article from the direct action of the heated air in circulation and also prevents the accumulation of dirt, or other foreign matter, on the article while being dried.

In Fig. 3, I have illustrated a construc tion in which the cover 9 is pivoted at 8 to the frame of the tray and the depending portions 7 and 10 of the cover extend to a. point on a line with the edge'of the mold ,a'. A felt, or other flexible, section-20 is secured to the cover in any suitable manner so as to rest upon the edge of the mold.-

By this construction, the entire under side of the mold is exposed to the air in circulation, while the space. between the mold and the under side of the cover is protected, as in some grades of ware it is desirable to protect the ware from the circulating air.

In Fig. 4, I have illustrated a construction 2 in which the cover isautomatically raised at matlcally lowered so as to the feed end of the drier and can be automatically raised at the discharge end of the drier. Mounted on the tray 6 are two open bearings 21 for pivot rods 22 and 23 carried by the cover 9. The central portion of the cover 9 is pivotally connected to the front andrear members 10 and 7 by the pivot rods 22 and 23. An arm 11, havinga roller 12 is adapted to travel in contact with a rail 13 at the feed end.of the drier and with a rail 24 at the discharge end of the drier. At the discharge end of the drier is a guide rail 16 for a roller 15 on an arm projecting from thetray.

By this construction, one end of'the cover is raised so that as the trays pass the feed opening 4, the cover will. be automatically raised and, after an article has been placed in positionon the tray, the cover is autoenclose the article. When the tray reaches the opening 5, the cover is again raised, but, in this instance, it

1 is the opposite side of the cover that is raised,

so that the article can be removed from the tray.

In Figs. 6 and 7, I have illustrated another modification, in which the cover is madein tWb-parts 9 and 9 pivoted toa central bar 25 and a lever 11 is pivoted at 26 and has a roller12 which is arranged to come in contact with the rails 13 -and ceiv e a mold and the flexible extensions 24 When the lever ll comes in contact with the cam rails 13 it elevates the section 9 of the cover so as to allow articles to be placed on the tray. When the tray reaches the deliveryend of the drier, the lever is moved in the opposite direction by the rail 24 and lifts the section 9". Both sections of the cover remain in the closed position asthe cover travels through therdrier.

In Fig. 8, Ihave illustrated a modification of the device illustrated in Fig. 2, in which the front end 10 the cover and has an arm 27, which comes in contact with a pin 28 on the side members of the tray so that as the cover is elevated this front member is raised in order to increase the space for the insertion or removal of the article to or from the tray. I

While I have illustrated certain modifications of the invention, others will readily suggest themselves.

The conveyor may be driven by the ordinary means. A driving pulley maybe mounted on any the sprocket wheels.

claim: l. The combination in a drier, of a casing; an endless conveyer; means for driving the conveyer; a series of trays on the conveyor; a cover pivotally mounted on each tray;.a-n arm projecting from each cover; and rails with which the arms come in contact so as to raise the covers.

one ofthe shafts carrying is pivoted to the body of of a casing; an endless conveyer; trays thereon; and a cover pivotally mounted above each tray, each tray being arranged to receive a mold and the article to be dried mounted thereon, the cover having depending extensions stopping short of the tray so as to enclose the article to be dried.

3. The combination in a drying apparatus, of a casing; an endless conveyer; trays thereon; 'a cover pivotally mounted above each tray, each tray being arranged torearticle to be dried mounted thereon, the cover having dependlng extensions stopping short of the tray so.

article to be dried; and on the cover resting on the mold so as to prevent circulation of air in the space between the article to be dried and the cover.

as to enclose the HENRY HOWSON. 

